My Top 10 Palindromes

10. 12/29/18 - Reactor > Orch Theme > I-Man > Gangster > I-Man > Orch Theme > Reactor

Any top 10 list I could create would be incomplete with this oft-maligned New Year’s run set, which tops the list of my favorite palindromes seen. The opening Reactor is the best Reactor post-2010 (sorry 2/4/16) and one of the best with Allen period. The I-Man > Gangster > I-Man, which forms the centerpiece of the segment, is excellent as well, but the set is strong throughout.

https://youtu.be/CFjHYBNV670?t=8674

9. 8/17/02 - 7-11 > Confrontation, Little Lai > M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Jigsaw Earth > Svenghali, Svenghali > Jigsaw Earth, M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Little Lai, Confrontation > 7-11

This was the first “split Palindrome,” and the setlist absolutely delivers. The band delivers the palindrome in a series of five segments, utilizing unconventional song combinations and alternating regular and dyslexic pairings. The highlight for me is also the longest segment: the beginning of Lai into the end of M.E.M.P.H.I.S. into the beginning of Jigsaw into the end of Svenghali.

https://archive.org/details/db2002-08-17.shnf

8. 11/9/06 - Spraypaint> Cyclone> Voices Insane> Cyclone> Spraypaint

2006 is not the most consistent year by any means, but Allen’s first palindrome has all of the elements that make 06 great: sparse minimalist trance beats, atmospheric synth leads, an absence of Shawn “Buckets” Hennessey, and type. two. Spraypaint. While most palindrome segments seem to be built around the middle portion (as those portions are often the highlights), this one is especially top-heavy: Spraypaint > Cyclone > Voices is a noticeable cut above Voices > Cyclone > Spraypaint.

https://youtu.be/gfqR0zRUdO8

7. 8/25/00 - Morph Dusseldorf > Story of the World > Aquatic Ape (><) > Story of the World > Morph Dusseldorf

After only one palindrome in the nine-nine, the band played four in 2000. The first night of Camp Bisco featured the second of the year, and the first since Marc Brownstein rejoined the band. It is the perfect example of a “middle-heavy” palindrome: Story > Ape (><) > Story is absolutely devastating dnb, which set the stage for the band’s exceptional fall tour.

https://archive.org/details/db2000-08-25RM.flac

6. 4/13/03 - Confrontation > Munchkin Invasion, The Very Moon > Digital Buddha > Shelby Rose (><) > Digital Buddha, The Very Moon > Munchkin Invasion > Confrontation

Another entry in the “late 1.0 split palindrome” series, the spring 03 outing is, like the summer 02 one, strongest in the middle: the Digital Buddha > Shelby Rose (><) > Digital Buddha is phenomenal, with one of the greatest Shelby peaks ever. The rest of the segment is excellent as well. Confro > Munchkin gets the thing off to a ferocious start, and the splitting of The Very Moon is excellent setlist creativity.

https://archive.org/details/db2003-04-13.shnf

5. 7/12/00 - The Overture > Aceetobee > Once The Fiddler Paid > I-Man > Once The Fiddler Paid > Aceetobee > The Overture

For Jordan Crisman’s last show on bass, he was given the honor of writing the setlist, and it’s the perfect illustration of how good (albeit temporary) a fit Jordan was for the band. Jordan GETS the Disco Biscuits, and nowhere was this more obvious than in the construction of the first set palindrome. Like the first palindrome 14 months prior, this set is bookended by The Overture, but Jordan’s setlist forced the band to experiment with underutilized songs in unconventional ways. Most significantly, this is the first jammed out Fiddler (and also among the highlights of the set) and still the only split-up version not-involving a Norwegian Wood cover.

https://archive.org/details/db2000-07-12

4. 1/7/07 - Hot Air Balloon > Crickets > Little Lai (><) > Crickets (><) > Hot Air Balloon

The 07 January “run” is often overlooked, but this sleeper set is absolutely worth a detour. This palindrome is another front-loaded one, and the HAB > Crix > Lai section is where it earns the majority of its points, although the peak back into HAB is fantastic.

3. 6/27/09 - Helicopters > Astronaut > Orch Theme > Astronaut > Helicopters

Where most of the entries on this list gain some notability for utilizing underutilized songs in interesting ways, the strongest palindrome of the Allen era is deceptively safe. The greatest hits-esque setlist does not in any way hamper the creative improvisation, however. While the first half is perfectly serviceable, it is the second half of the palindrome that elevates it to legendary status—one of the very few palindromes where this is the case. The SITA jam is one of the best ever, the Astronaut ending is great, and the outro is absolutely spectacular.

https://archive.org/details/db2009-06-27.mk21.flac16

2. 9/8/01 - Reactor > Crickets > Story of the World > The Overture (><) > Story of the World > Crickets (><) > Reactor

September 2001 is, of course, widely considered the greatest month in Biscuits history, and the only palindrome of the month is widely considered one of its greatest sets. Reactor is easily the greatest version ever, and even more impressive that it was only the fourth time played, and only two weeks old. Reactor > Crickets is the fan-favorite jam of the set, but the Story > Overture (><) > Story has long been my favorite portion. Skull-crushing dnb and deep type two trance.

https://archive.org/details/db2001-09-08.mastered.flac

1. 5/1/99 - The Overture > Basis for a Day > Vasillios > Basis for a Day > The Overture

The original and best. The invention of the palindrome was an inevitable development in the band’s trajectory as they began to experiment with more jammed out transitions in late 98-early 99, but that the first one would coincide so perfectly with such a high water mark in the band’s playing was perfect serendipity. So inspired is the playing here that the invention of the palindrome is almost an afterthought, a footnote on a show replete with highlights. Overture had just begun to come into its own as a jam vehicle, and it serves as a perfect bookend to the segment, but, as usual, it is the meat of the sandwich that makes the segment so legendary. Basis > Vassilios pulls off the not-easy task of exploring minimalist atmospheres without verging into pretentious plodding wankery. So many moments in this jam sound nothing like anything the band had attempted before or has attempted since. It is iconic and instantly recognizable. The Vassilios > Basis is less monolithic, but there is a strong trance theme, a delightfully insane type two breakdown, and a buildup to one of the greatest Basis peaks ever. The first palindrome is, and will almost certainly always be, the greatest.

https://archive.org/details/db1999-05-01.mastered.flac